Risks of Super Volcanoes

In a story of public interest in geology driven by entertainment, this BBC news report focuses on a report issued from a group of British geologists (timed to coincide with the release of a television drama about the same thing) is warning that the risk posed to civilization by a so called “super-volcano” is 5-10 times more likely than that of an asteroid impact. The authors want to highlight the issue, which they feel is being ignored by governments. They emphasise that while catastrophic eruptions of this kind are rare in terms of a human lifetime, they are surprisingly common on a geological scale. The effects, say the authors, “could be sufficiently severe to threaten the fabric of civilisation” – putting events such as the Asian tsunami into the shade.